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Tuesday, 25 June 2019

Duchess Kate Becomes Royal Photographic Society Patron

An unannounced engagement for the Duchess of Cambridge today! Kate visited Warren Park Children's Centre in Surrey this afternoon for a photography workshop to see how learning photography can positively impact young people's confidence and self expression.

The engagement coincided with the exciting news Her Majesty has passed her patronage of the Royal Photographic Society to her granddaughter-in-law. Kensington Palace said: "The Duchess has a longstanding interest in photography, and this patronage will further highlight the beneficial impact that art and creativity can have on emotional wellbeing, particularly for children and young people."

This patronage is the very definition of an ideal fit for the Duchess. For her final year dissertation at St Andrews, a growing interest in photography led her to write about the photography of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, entitled 'Angels from Heaven: Lewis Carroll's Photographic Interpretation of Childhood'. Kate graduated with an upper second-class degree in history of art in 2005.

Kate adores photography; more often than not we see her images of her children released to mark their birthdays. The Duchess has taken her camera with her for royal tours over the years, including Canada and Southeast Asia. The arts is a growing area of focus for the Duchess - she's also patron of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

“It is a huge honour to have the Duchess as our Patron, especially given her personal interest in photography. We know that photography and creative pursuits have such a positive impact for people of all ages, and we are excited to be working with one of the Duchess’s charities in support of their work.”

The Palace added: "The Royal Photographic Society is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in 1853 with the objective of promoting the art and science of photography, and in 1854 received Royal patronage from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Society has over 11,000 members and runs an extensive programme of more than 300 events throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Photographic Society in January 2017."

The RPS exists to educate the public and broaden their knowledge of photography whilst promoting achievement and works of note in order to "encourage public appreciation".

Membership is open to all, regardless of qualification. All that's required is a passion for photography.

The Queen served as patron for 67 years. For her 90th birthday, a striking photo of her silhouette featured on the cover of the RPS Journal.

Kate joined a group of children from the organisation in sessions run by Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellows Nigel Wilson, Jillian Edelstein and Harry Borden, covering the use of lights and colour. The workshop highlighted how photography can provide "a universal language for young people to express themselves and explore their thoughts and feelings".

'London-based award-winning photographer Bronwen Sharpe praised Kate's natural ability to capture 'authentic unstaged moments'. She previously told FEMAIL: 'No other photographer would be able to capture the same connection she has with her children. There is a real warmth and love that is present in her work. 'She has a natural ability to capture humanity with a great eye for composition and colour.'

Mike Taylor, the prestigious society's chief operating officer, said: 'It is a huge honour to have the duchess as our patron, especially given her personal interest in photography.'

Josh Wood very much enjoyed his time discussing photography with the Duchess.

'Nine-year-old Josh Evans showed Kate pictures he had taken of the local surroundings at the centre, including a brown leaf set in a puddle. Sitting on a bench in the garden with the schoolboy, Kate said: “Oh wow, you’ve got a real talent there. That’s really good. “Do you like taking artsy pictures like that? I think you are very good, you should definitely keep it up.” After his meeting with royalty, down to earth Josh said: “I didn’t know who she was but she wanted to see my pictures."

Josh’s mother Natasha Evans, 37, from Liverpool, joked about her son not knowing the Duchess. She said: "It didn’t matter to Josh, he gets on with everyone, but in a few years time when he sees the pictures of him and Kate he’ll know how important today was." Ms Evans said her son, who has ADHD and suffered from behavioural problems, has been transformed after being supported for a year by a junior mentor provided by Action for Children.'

The Duchess took over as patron of Action for Children from the Queen in early 2017.

Kensington Palace noted: "As part of her longstanding work on early years the Duchess is on a mission to support organisations like Action for Children that aim to give every child the best possible start in life. Action for Children, who are marking their 150th anniversary this year, are committed to helping vulnerable children, young people, and their families, across the UK. The charity's 7,000 staff and volunteers operated over 522 services in the UK, improving the lives of 301,000 children, teenagers, parents and carers last year." Kate was shown black and white photos from the Action for Children's archives including some of the first children helped by the charity when it was founded in 1869.

A wrap-up video of the event including footage of Kate's chat with Josh.

It was a summery look for the Duchess. Kate wore a print tiered dress with a tie waist for the engagement. Following numerous searches for the piece, the Telegraph's Bethan Holt revealed the dress is by Ridley London.

The Duchess wore a custom version of the Virginia Midi dress. The £449 piece is described as: "Playful and chic, this silk chiffon midi dress features a flattering v-neck, fitted bodice, short floaty sleeves and a flattering a-line skirt with a frounced hem. Lined in luxurious silk, this dress is great dressed up with heels or down with trainers and a biker."

Ridley London was founded by Camilla Ridley in 2010. Speaking about her journey she said: "After the birth of my daughter Emmanuelle, I established British made bespoke childrenswear label Milliemanu. This enabled me to build my brilliant tailoring team and develop relationships with the very best suppliers. After much customer demand for well made womenswear that really fitted, Ridley London was born. Above all, we put personal service at the heart of everything we do at Ridley. We want to build happy and lasting relationships with each one of our customers. You’ll often find me in our London store or on one of our event stands. Meeting, understanding and helping customers is intrinsic to the creative process. All of our stylists are highly trained and experienced, and really understand the subtle nuances of physique, colour, style and cut."

More on the brand:

"No one is quite like you. You're a real one off. A complete individual. From every curve and unique measurement to the way you see the world and the world sees you. It's the things that make you different that make you special. Ridley London is a new type of label, created to help you celebrate your individuality. Every Ridley garment is individually made to order in London from the finest materials and can be tailored to fit you perfectly. Our team of stylists is on hand to help you create a garment to make you look and feel your very best. For seasons to come."

The Duchess teamed the dress with her Castaner Carina wedges. The £90 espadrilles debuted in 2004 and remain a customer favourite fifteen years later.

The patronage is an excellent choice for Kate. It was great to see Action for Children involved today. I'm looking forward to seeing future collaborations. Kate's look had a very fresh feel to it, and the earrings and wedges made it perfect for June. Kate's hair looks a little lighter and longer which really suits her in my opinion. Ridley London is a new brand for the Duchess. Would you like to see more of their pieces in her rotation moving forward?

In other news, rumours are circulating the Cambridges will undertake an autumn tour. The Mail on Sunday reports the couple will visit several countries in Asia. We should hear an official announcement in the coming weeks.

85 comments:

This should be a treat to read about! Regarding her look, I feel (and hope) this is more like what Kate would wear just to please herself. The dress is just lovely and seems to match her hair in the pattern. The shoes are great with the extra ties wrapped around her ankle. Can't really see the earrings yet, but she looks lovely and summery and very photographic!

Kate looks lovely & summery. So good to see her again. She does seem to have a thing for flounces on her dress but I really do like this summer dress. Romantic! The wedged shoes look good with this. Her hair looks terrific! Wish we were experiencing summery temps in Canada!

Exciting to hear about the new patronage, it's definitely a fitting one for Kate. I like the summery look of the dress and think it's appropriate for an engagement with children. Something's off about it though- it might be the ruffle down the middle + the dust ruffle. Together they make the proportions of the dress look odd. I do wish she would stop wearing dresses with dust ruffles. I don't think they're flattering on anyone.

@Jennifer, what you are seeing is not a ruffle in the middle. It is the tie belt hanging down the front, although I agree it looks like a ruffle in some photos. The model in the pink version has her belt tied in a bow at the side. I wish Kate had done the same.

I love this dress!!!!! This is a look I would wear. Someone mentioned her loving flounces and i agree and think myself it is sometimes too much, but in this case, it works because she has a v-neck. I think the flounces with a high neck or pussy bow is too much. But this is the perfect balance and the shoes lend the right touch. And her hair is loose and natural. It’s a win !!!

I'm the one that wrote about the flounces being something Kate liked. Wanted to say you're so right about the flounces. I never thought of the structure of dress determining how the flounces work, high neck, v-neck etc. That makes perfect sense.

I, too, love a surprise engagement. I love the pattern on the dress, not crazy about the ruffle, but probably because I lived through them already! The shoes are great . . . . I'd love to see her wear them in coral!! Some never-before-seen pictures that she has taken would be a great way to kick off this new venture.

I adore this look! From tip to toe it's perfection. What a fantastic dress, style, color, just adore!

I think it was a foregone conclusion that this patronage would go to Kate. It's a perfect fit for her. She is such an asset to the BRF.

I am curious if anybody has an opinion on this. With Charles, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan taking on more and more work, with clear success, does anybody think the Queen will abdicate in the coming years?

Rita, I have often wondered this myself. Queen Elizabeth is still in good health and seems to love her role as much as always, so who knows. It will be interesting to see what transpires in the coming years.

I think the Queen is 93 so I don’t think it’s necessarily that she is thinking of abdicating. I believe she is a woman who takes her duty extremely seriously and I would imagine she will keep going in whatever capacity she can. I think they are taking on more work because at her age it must be incredibly draining, mentally and physically, to do so many engagements!

Although a completely different circumstance, I think abdicate is a four letter word to HM. In her speech she pledged her life, whether it be long or short, to the service of her people. I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

I remember reading at the time of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration that a plan was being drawn up that at 95 she would name Charles Regent but not abdicate. There was also a plan for if she would become incapacitated thus unable to perform her duties (say from a stroke). At the time the information was considered coming from reliable sources. Personally, I don’t think she would leave anything to chance. And she is probably also trying to make a smooth transition for Charles at her death, to help insure the continuation of the Monarchy. Guiding naming him the next head of the Commonwealth last year, I see as an example. As for the Duchess, she looks so pretty today and so perfectly dressed to interact with the children! The video summary has so many touching scenes! She just seems so genuine in her interactions and truly delighted with the children and the photography!

I just read an article that said the Queen might well designate Charles as Prince Regent. I've put the definition below. That way Charles would take on the majority of the work, but the Queen would still be the monarch. As mentioned above, she did pledge her life, whether it be long or short, to the service of her people. We are already seeing that she is transferring her patronages to other members of the Royal Family. That way, when she can no longer fill the role of patron the transition will already be made. Her Majesty is both dedicated and wise.

A prince regent, or prince-regent, is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the Sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or absence (remoteness, such as exile or long voyage, or simply no incumbent).

I agree with the commenters who said the Queen will not abdicate. The Prince regent role is very much in the cards for Charles in my opinion. The only question is if they wait till she defenitely cannot do anything anymore (with apssing more and more tasks on the PoW and the rest over time) or if she will designate him herself. I have the theory that maybe Charles will never be king. He will be Prince regent but might be outlived by his mother in the end. Not that I wish that on them but I have a gut feeling.C.

No, she absolutely won't. The 1936 abdication is ancient history to most of us, but it was at the heart of HMQ's family, changed her life forever, and may well have contributed to her father's early death. Her 21st birthday broadcast stated that 'My whole life, be it long or short, will be dedicated to your service'. No way will she abdicate, although we are seeing more sharing of responsibility with Charles.

Can it just be the dress making her look so young here? She looks great and as someone said, like pre engagement Kate. I think this dress is very pretty...her hair is beautiful as usual, and she is working for a great cause. Thanks Charlotte!

I have always imagined that there are two wardrobes or rather rooms in KP. One with Kate’s clothes and one with the Duchess of Cambridge’s clothes. And everything she owns fit in either the one or the other room. Putting on her Catherine clothes was like putting on armour. She kept public Catherine completely separate from private Kate. I think it is sign of her growing confidence that she is willing to pick something from Kate’s wardrobe for a public engagement.

So odd you wrote this because I JUST had the "two rooms" thought a few days ago! One for her, like we all have (well, at least a closet not room for most of us) and then one for the Duchess of Cambridge. ;) I would love to know the clothing/jewelry logistics for royal women. Just basic stuff like storage space, inventory of what was worn when and where, and then dry cleaning - palace surely has a private system for dry cleaning. And on an unrelated note - their garbage, it must be burned or something because otherwise reporters/stalkers would be lingering around the royal homes' garbage bin areas to rifle through, etc. I have always been fascinated with the logistical side - particularly clothing and tiaras. :)

Florida girl, I too wonder how her clothing, hats and shoes are stored. Suspect an assistant keeps a detailed spreadsheet by event of what she wore. Also wonder what the process is when Her Majesty loans royal jewels. Totally fascinated by it all!

I love surprise Kate appearances!! I love this dress so much and her whole look. I would definitely like to see her wear more Ridley London. I looked through their website and I would love to see her wear one of their jumpsuits.

It is fantastic the Queen has passed this patronage to the Duchess, she will do so well in this new role. She looks lovely, the colour is nice, silk I am a huge fan of, but I am not a fan of the hemline at all, its a similar hemline to the dress she wore at the Chelsea Flower show, escorting the Queen around the exhibits, personal preference only.

Love the cut and coloring of this dress--so flattering! Kate typically sticks to such tailored and structured dresses that it's great to see her in something more relaxed--definitely a summer favorite! Would also be nice at polo. Love the wedges and the 'natural' hair--like she styled it herself! It's not overdone or too perfect. What a terrific patronage and a lovely day for all involved.

Bronwen Sharpe's comment about Kate's personal photography was lovely. She truly can capture her family best, and it's a real treat that she is willing to share those photos with the public. These days, it is incredibly easy to take a fantastic photo. We have amazing camera quality right on on our cell phones! I encourage readers to take a walk around your area and use your cell phone camera and capture the surrounding beauty. It does our artistic sides a favor and makes for a wonderful way to reflect on the wonderful world we live in.

I am so excited that Catherine has been given this patronage! I think it suits her perfectly, and we can see how happy she looks with the kids and photography. I predict that we will see her undertaking quite a few engagements with this patronage in the future.

Fun surprise! Kate looks great and this patronage is a terrific fit for her. I would love to see some of her photos sometime. I think someone suggested once doing a show as a fundraiser for one or some patronage’s and that would be lovely.

Her look overall is terrific. Professional but also summery and kid friendly. I love the earrings!

I love this light, summery look on the Duchess. So often the royals are dressed in heavy, long sleeved dresses and coats, even in summer. I've wondered if that was due to weather differences between where they live and I live, or if it's due to a different level of formality (or both). Anyway, I just love seeing Kate dressed like it's summertime!

I'm not crazy about the fabric. The colors are so muted and subtle that I'm not sure they do anything for her (or anyone). I like the colors in the original dress better.

Nothing takes away from this wonderful engagement, and the joy she brings those kids, but I’m so not loving the bottom ruffle on that dress. I think almost all of my least favorite dresses on Kate share that feature. It’s a pretty pattern and the floaty sleeves are lovely. I think I might be an outlying vote on the shoes - not a fan. They look more like “brown socks” than the praline pumps that Ivy Lin always pans. They just look clunky and heavy to me, distracting from the airy floral dress. Maybe they’d work better with a pair of Capri pants and a sweater.

I love espadrilles wedges and have about 4 pairs so I love these shoes. I do think that Kate could branch out with the colors on the shoes. She loves her beige/tan so much. But the style is great and they are so comfortable.

A lovely surprice for us to see Kate taking the patronage of the Royal Photographic Society! She looked summery and happy!

By the way, I have been watching all those Downton Abbey seasons again, just to remember everything well before the movie is coming out in the autumn. Do you think if it's possible that Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the movie premiere of the Downton Abbey film? I think that it would be the highlight of the year to me if they would :)

I have always thoughts Catherine’s photos of her children are of a far greater quality than those made by professionnal photographers ! Lovely dress, Îdo love the print, which could have been enhanced by some contrast , with a belt for example , and dark shade leather sandals , can’t see the point of those shoes, absolutely no elegance ! That’s a problem she has, she is not good at accessorizing her clothes , either it’s a colour block, clothes and accessories and jewels .... , either it does not match at all ....

The Duchess looks very much in her element here, what a perfect patronage for her! I agree, Charlotte, the lighter hair color suits her well! I think the dress is great for June but I dislike the sleeves. I like the length, I just don't love that they're so flow-y. I think those sleeves combined with the ruffle on the bottom sort of makes her look boxy. But honestly, this is about the new patronage and you can tell how much she truly enjoys photography and being around the children here! It's refreshing to see her guard be put down so much and her doing something she obviously really loves. Thank you, Charlotte!

Not terribly excited about a ruffled dress for a “work day” event. I wish Kate would get with a slim, professional pant more often. Is it just today, or is Kate appearing a bit stooped over? Maybe because she leans in, but she appears very round shouldered today. Much better when she stands straight. Love her tho!

Love your blogs is there any way you could do one about Sophie Countess of Wessex. She is a role model for your older readers and does so much for charities but it seems to go un-noticed. She has even recently commented as much.

I was very sorry to see Anna has decided to close her blog. I've known her for years and she's not only incredibly talented, she's so generous and helpful. She's a huge loss to the royal community. I very much hope she returns down the line.

Unfortunately, the challenges are immense when it comes to covering royals like Sophie. It's next to impossible to source good quality photographs. You could be involved with several photo agencies and only see images of Sophie about ten times a year. I've long thought she and Edward should consider opening their own social media account. I had a general royal blog for a brief spell a number of years ago and it was very difficult to source proper information on events. It's definitely something the royals need to look at and their offices.

It was a mammoth effort on Anna's behalf to provide the stellar coverage she did.

It is lovely that HM passed this patronage on to Kate, but I am surprised that we are not seeing more of this. The Queen is passing patronage’s along one or two at a time. When it comes to the succession the 50 - 100 patronage’s that has been passed on will be a drop in the bucket compared to the 600 HM has left and about 500 from Prince Phillip. I understand that they don’t want to create alarm by suddenly passing on 50 or 100 patronages, but 5 or 10 a year hardly seems worth the effort.

I was very impressed with William’s comments. Especially because he did not give a stock “Of course I will be fine with their decisions.” But showed that he has really thought about the possibility and how he would react. And that he is aware that there isn’t a my-family-is-OK-with-me-being-gay magic wand that make all the prejudices and issues people in the LGBTQ community face, disappears.

It really was very fantastic of him. One small thing - I wish he didn't say if his children "chose" or "decided" to be LGBT. Because it's not a choice or a decision, and I know he meant well but usually when it's framed as a choice or decision it's in a homophobic way.

I think I understand what you are describing, Anon 00:45:the belief that gender and sexual preference identities are consciously chosen is at the center of objections to LGBT as a concept and discrimination against it. By recognising that this identity is not a matter of choice, one would have no moral foundation for discrimination. It would be similar to discrimination based on eye color. "Homophobic" is an emotionally-charged word. I think attitudes toward ideas unlike one's own have a complicated evolution. When one is raised from birth (not referencing William now) to accept certain ideas, I wonder if using words such as "choice" or " Homophobic " can accurately describe the process. The possibility that one can realise an idea is wrong but is unable to break through constraints of years of exposure to the idea needs to be considered in efforts for equality. Compassion is not a one-way street.

That said, I would have to review WIlliam's entire remarks as well as the event context, as far as what particular words he used and what he likely meant. My impression from the gist of what he said is that he meant the choice to "live as" LGBT, which, I think you will agree, is entirely different from a choice to become. Up until modern times, women were blamed for failure to produce a male child. Certainly, the history of the British monarchy reflects this. We now know that the male is the decider. The suffering that could have been avoided had the facts been known! What I am saying is that there are many ideas and theories regarding how LGBT identities form; as far as I know, nobody really knows for sure at this point. I suspect there is more than one basis. We do know that some individuals do choose to live true to their identities while others, perhaps aware of the tough road ahead-which William clearly outlined, choose to deny their true selves. This latter choice involves its own- private- suffering.

What a pleasure Catherine is so good with children. she also seems to have found her middle in public. She wow without a bag in front of her body in a great dress and great but cozy shoes. i really like that

not a fan of the dress but love her hair and earrings and her smile she is glowing and gorgeous and congrats to her! also happy to hear william's comments how he would feel if his kids were gay or lesbian! kudos to him!

I know I am late commenting but I don't like this dress. It's not her best look. It looks better on the model. I recently saw a photo of Reese Witherspoon and she had on a lovely purple and gold dress with gold shoes and it was just a lovely look and I wish Kate would dress like that. I just wish she would stylist. She could benefit from one.

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